Sunday, 16 August 2015

Fake It Until You Make It

Summer is soon going to be a distant memory, which is devastating news as it feels like I've blinked and missed it yet again. Some of us have been lucky enough to fly off on beautiful holidays and others (me included) have relied on the tan in a bottle to keep us going.

As soon as the sun shines, I love nothing more than sorting through the summer wardrobe and wearing all those beauties you've had to stash away during the winter months. However, this does mean a little preparation and pampering needs to take place first, which brings me to today's post - tanning lotions.

I have selected a range of different products that I have in my stash, these include gradual tanners, face tanners, wash off tanners and your normal tanning lotion.

The first tanning lotion in my stash is the Bondi Sands Self Tanning Lotion in Dark. I started to see this everywhere in recent months and as I am always on the looking for a natural looking tanning product I had to pick one up. I chose the Dark colour as...well... the darker the better really! You can, however, pick up the Light/Medium alternative if a darker tan is a little too much for you. When smelling the tan from the bottle it smells just like holidays, it's glorious. The colour also does not disappoint, it is extremely dark. The application it lovely too, it glides onto the skin really easily and when using a tanning mitt takes no time at all to achieve a nice even coverage. I also love the fact that it drys quite quickly, so you don't have to stand around for hours doing strange interpretive dance moves until it's time to put your clothes back on. On the back of the bottle it does suggest to apply another application 30 minutes after the initial application for a deeper tan, which I am prone to doing as it does create a beautiful colour. Once washed off the next day it does leave a beautiful dark tan, which lasts (if well maintained) throughout the week. The only warnings I will offer are that it does rub off on clothing and bedding until the initial application has been washed off and there is no escape from that biscuit smell once it's settled into the skin. However, these issues do not deter me and I will be repurchasing this tanning lotion as it is a new firm favourite of mine.

Next up - St Tropez Instant Tan Wash Off Face & Body Lotion in Light/Medium. This is for those days when sudden plans pop up and panic sets in because you haven't been give 48 hours notice to apply, reapply and probably re-re-apply your fake tan. This is a beautiful quick fix to add a little summer glow to the face and body. I love to mix this with my regular body or face moisturiser to work it into to the skin, as when applied by itself it tends to set quite quickly and could end up looking patchy on the skin. There is a slight, I'm going to say 'floral', scent to this product, so bear that in mind if you have sensitive skin and are looking to use it solely as a facial tanner. As a Light/Medium shade, it is still quite dark and buildable once dry, so it satisfies my deep, dark tanning needs. As the name suggests, it is a wash off tan, so will come off in the shower at the end of the day. It does say that the product is water resistant, however I wouldn't trust it completely if there happened to be a sudden down pour and you're caught right slap bang in the middle of it.

A gradual tanner for you now, in the form of Dove's Summer Glow with a subtle gradual self tanner for Medium to Dark Skin. This was raved about when it first hit the shelves and it is still loved by many, not to mention it's as cheap as chips (Hallelujah!). I use this either in the Winter months to add a subtle tan that doesn't stand out like a sore thumb or I use it to top up the Bondi Sands tan throughout the week. Unlike the other tanning lotions I have mentioned, this is cream in colour, so it is hard to tell where you're applying it, however as it is a gradual tanner you can't really make to many mistakes. It does build up really nicely to create a subtle colour and wears quite nicely throughout the week. It's also quite moisturising. Again, the product smells quite nice in the bottle, but once it settles into the skin there is a slight tanning smell that you can't escape from.

Last but not least, is the Garnier Ambre Solaire 1 Week Glow No Streaks Bronzer Tinted Self-Tan Cream for Face. Despite the long, long, long name, I picked this one up as it's made solely for the face. It claims to offer an instant sun kissed look, with no self tan smell and lasts for 7 days. It also smells somewhat like apricots. As the name says, this is a tinted cream and applies to the skin with a golden sheen. I don't buy the 7 day glow spiel as anything you apply to the face is unlikely to last 7 days when you're cleansing, toning, exfoliating etc etc twice a day. However, it does leave a golden glow when you wake up the next morning. It also suggests that there is no need for foundation when using this product. Now it's good, but it's not that good, it might slightly cover any redness, but it's not a miracle worker for blemishes so it works as a nice base for foundation but I definitely wouldn't skip it altogether. An all round lovely product!

Do you have any self tanning lotion recommendations? If so, get in touch and let me know.